An immunohistochemical study of distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen in epithelial tumours of the ovary.

An immunohistochemical study of the tissue CEA content of 82 epithelial neoplasms of the ovary has shown that mucinous tumours contain more of this substance than do their serous counterparts; otherwise a knowledge of tissue CEA content appears to be of little value in the differential histological diagnosis of this group of neoplasms. Among mucinous tumours there is only a partial correspondence between their degree of malignancy, as assessed histologically, and their content of CEA. It is postulated that immunohistological study of tissue CEA may add a degree of finesse to morphological analysis of these neoplasms and thus allow for a more precise grading of their degree of malignancy.